2005 Chambolle Musigny

Deep crimson and powerfully fruity with the merest hint of game already. Very livelyi pure, jewely fruit and lovely fine tannins. Masses of fruit – very direct. Powerful! From the Morey end of Chambolle. Lovely wine. (JR)

From diverse and choice parcels, the Dujac estate 2005 Chambolle-Musigny offers smoked meat and generous ripe cherry and raspberry aromas, its berry flavors then accented by tart fruit skin and bitter cherry pit , but displaying little of the floral dimension possessed by so many other Dujac wines, and which I would certainly have anticipated. (But then, perhaps it’s not the terroir, stupid!) Tactile spiciness and cherry-pit bitterness combine for a somewhat austere finishing impression, but this wine’s sheer length and purity of fruit remain formidable, and I suspect it is simply going through a slightly surly period. The already rich array of crus at Domaine Dujac has recently been augmented on two fronts. The purchase (along with de Montille) of the Societe Civile du Clos de Thorey (Thomas-Moillard) has brought them a raft of choice parcels including three new grand cru holdings (for a staggering total of eight). Meanwhile, they have expanded their negociant arm (with control over harvest and green harvest a prerequisite) to supplement in particular their volumes of village-level wine. (Those wines – labeled “Dujac Fils & Pere” – are signified in the above listing with “FP”. In fact, due to a legal technicality, the 2005 vintage wines from the properties newly acquired by the domaine – but not subsequent vintages – will also read “Fils & Pere” rather than “Domaine”.) Even with California-trained oenologist Diana Seysses (nee Snowden) joining her husband Jeremy and in-laws Jacques and Alec, and with a new winery (though at the old address) I wonder at how they are able to keep up with the magnitude of their responsibilities. Yet despite so many parcels and vines new to them this year, the results are consistently outstanding and at times astounding. Much of the vinification – increasingly as one goes up the hierarchy of crus – was of whole clusters. Malos finished (finally) by November and the wines were bottle in December and January. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel.(415) 491 4724

Good bright red-ruby. Musky black raspberry, black cherry and chocolate on the nuanced nose. Suave and sweet in the mouth; a step up in concentration and palate coverage from the other village cuvees Complex notes of pepper, spices, minerals and flowers. Finishes broad and elegant. Very promising village wine. The yields here were brought down by May hail, noted Jeremy Seysses.